|
![]() an ARRL Affiliate Club Since December 10, 1994 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Upcoming Events
February 21, 2012
February Monthly Meeting The February 2012 monthly meeting of the Newton ARC will be held February 21 at 7:00PM. The Club meets at the Newton Public Library in the Board Room in the basement. There is an elevator for those unable to use the stairs to reach the basement. All are welcome! Visitors and non-members are especially encouraged to join us. Emergency communications preparedness training is always a focus of the group. Posted on: 11/01/2011 ARRL Contest Calendar You may get more details on ARRL and non-ARRL sanctioned contests by going to the Contesting link . The dates are listed here as a way to show a simple events calendar. Posted on: 07/07/2010 March 20, 2012 March Monthly Meeting The March 2012 monthly meeting of the Newton ARC will be held March 20 at 7:00PM. The Club meets at the Newton Public Library in the Board Room in the basement. There is an elevator for those unable to use the stairs to reach the basement. All are welcome! Visitors and non-members are especially encouraged to join us. Emergency communications preparedness training is always a focus of the group. Posted on: 11/01/2011
Reflective Radar |
Meetings the 3rd Tuesday each month @ 7:00pm |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Congratulations to the first class of hams testing with the Newton ARC VEC and VE team!
Correcting the e-mail sent I am putting their calls and license atttained here
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Make sure you check the links New Ham Starter Page and Becoming a new Ham. Please support your local Clubs, services, and general interest on-air nets. It is only through the participation of all hams that our hobby can be the best it can be. It is up to us! |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
How to Become an Amateur Radio Operator Simple Steps to Prepare for Your First Amateur Radio LicenseIntroduction
Becoming an Amateur Radio Operator is easy - lots of people are doing it, with little or no prior background in radio or electronics. Under the current rules (May 2011), the entry-level license is called "Technician." Applied to Amateur Radio, the term "Technician" is a misnomer - it does not mean you'll have to learn how to repair or service electronics. A licensed 2-way radio "technician" and a licensed "Amateur Radio Technician" are two different things. As an Amateur Radio Operator, Technician class, you will be licensed to use VHF and UHF radio equipment and repeaters comparable to that used by local public agencies like Police and Fire departments. This will give you communications capability to participate in local roundtables, stay in contact with licensed family and friends, citizen patrols, volunteer programs like Citizen Corps, severe weather spotting, and emergency response teams providing backup and interoperability services to various public service and emergency response organizations. It allows you to become an active and effective volunteer communicator, assisting your community in times of need, and you'll make lots of new friends, too! Amateur Radio is not like CB radio. Communications are polite and "family friendly," unlike CB, where conversations are often rude and vulgar. Amateur Technicians usually operate on VHF and UHF FM, using repeaters, just like police and other public service agencies. The communications are clear and reliable, unlike CB, and are not bothered by a roar of interference. FM radios use "squelch" that silences the radio between transmissions, again unlike CB, but like police radios. Using 2-meter FM radios is a purposeful and rewarding experience, not annoying nor frustrating like CB. Amateur Radio operators are trained, tested, and licensed, once again unlike CB. Amateur Radio is strictly a non-commercial service. It may not be used for business or advertising. Businesses must use radios licensed and approved for the Business Radio Services, not the Amateur Radio Service. The Technician class license gives you the ability to use any and all Amateur radio modes, like FM, single-sideband (SSB), digital, and even satellites and 2-way television, on VHF and UHF frequencies. This includes all the Amateur bands above 50 MHz. Technicians typically begin by purchasing a small hand-held radio and using 2-meter repeaters. Repeaters are devices located around the area that "repeat" or re-transmit your signal, so that you can reliably cover a large area using handheld, mobile, and base radios. The "repeater" is controlled by your radio and instantly repeats whatever you say, with greater power and range. Amateur repeaters typically use the same type of commercial repeater equipment used by police and other such agencies. Exam Preparation "Is it for me? Can I do this?" Once again, we stress that licensed Amateur Radio operators do not have to learn complex radio engineering theory nor radio electronics repair! There are licensed Amateurs from 6 to over 100 years old. You can do this, if you commit to a period of study and pass the exam. It's just like any other course of study: You immerse yourself in it for a little while, pass your exam, then enjoy all the benefits for the rest of your life. There are many resources online for studying ham radio. There are also many books and software programs for preparing for the exams. There are even web sites that give practice exams. I have located and compiled herein what I consider the best resources. If you follow these steps, you will be ready for the Tech exam in less time that you think. Two weeks to two months is typical, depending on how much time you can devote to study.
Amateur - Just What Does It Mean?
State/National emergency frequencies can be found on the Kansas A.R.E.S. page. ![]()
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Click to join SKYWARN ICT NWS Served Area Group
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Privacy Policy Newton Amateur Radio Club, Inc. 1997-2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||